TEHRAN - Iran and Armenia have agreed to establish a joint working commission to address land border issues and facilitate tourist movement between the two neighboring countries.

Iran’s proposal to form the commission was welcomed on Monday in a meeting with the Iranian Deputy Tourism Minister Anoushirvan Mohseni-Bandpey and Armenian Economy and Tourism Minister Gevorg Papoyan, held on the sidelines of the fifth Iran-Armenia joint technical committee meeting on tourism cooperation. The session was held in the Armenian capital to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral tourism interactions and ease road travel.

According to ISNA, Mohseni-Bandpey has announced that both sides agreed to form the joint working commission and would begin practical steps to facilitate the entry and exit of tourists, addressing border problems gradually and based on expert assessments. “The working commission, involving relevant agencies from both countries, would provide a platform to examine border issues, standardize control procedures, improve passenger-handling infrastructure, increase capacity during peak periods and enhance road-transport coordination.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Iranian official noted that improving procedures at the Norduz land border in Iran’s East Azarbaijan province was essential due to the growth in overland travel. “Norduz must be upgraded from a crossing point to a service-based tourism corridor,” Mohseni-Bandpey said, ISNA reported.

He described the creation of a new model of joint border-management cooperation as necessary for the future of tourism ties. He said East Azarbaijan could serve as a gateway for tourism development between Iran, Armenia and the Eurasian market.

Mohseni-Bandpey also cited that delays and transport issues for buses and passenger cars as major obstacles. “For tourists of both countries, the travel experience begins at the point of entry,” he said, adding that service speed and coordination at the border must match the tourism potential of both sides. “Norduz crossing on the Tabriz–Jolfa route had the capacity to become one of Iran’s busiest land-travel corridors.”

He underlined that Norduz, the only land customs point between Iran and Armenia, played a key role in Iran’s links with members of the Eurasian Economic Union. He added that its improvement carried national and regional importance. “Removing border obstacles would support tourism growth and boost people-to-people exchanges and economic interactions. Coordinated border management, organized transport and joint policymaking could help establish a stable and secure year-round tourism corridor between the two countries.”

Armenia is considered an important target market for Iranian tourism, particularly in health tourism, shopping and pilgrimage.

AM